TWWR Round up 04/14/2026– Your Lust Will Not Set You Free

I had a pretty good holiday. What I didn’t anticipate is that this week’s comic round up would be nearly be derailed again. It was a mixture of being tired from work, cooking dinner for the week, a request for help with tasks from my mother bleeding into the day, and a new workflow for my livestreams. Thinking about it, I might be packing too much into my Sundays. At this rate, something has to give. I’m thinking about moving blog updates to Tuesdays. We’ll see if I pull the trigger on that, or just work on managing my time better on Sundays/Mondays when I normally do my writing.

For the first time since starting my round ups for this blog, it feels weird to not have Africa in that first slot. It really brings home how Arven has never taken any time off since starting her comics more than a decade ago. Her break was needed.

What Lurks Beneath | Pages(s): 995 – 1000 | Patreon

Wow, What Lurks Beneath is the first comic I’ve ever covered that has reached 1000 pages. The only other comic that close to reaching said page count is Home (on Patreon). I don’t want to do a compare and contrast between Arual and Kique, except to say that the ride for WLB has been infinitely more entertaining.

Auklet does tell Sturgeon what King Thresher is planning during the new moon. He doesn’t hold back, as he reveals to his niece that her father has an outright genocide of the Daisys planned. Sturgeon is so horrified that she takes a step back and drops the mouse she was carrying. I’m frustrated with Auklet. He repeats that his brother needs to die before the genocide, but he’s putting this all on a cat who’s not even a full adult yet. Worse, that cat is his own relative.

I said it before, these two ought to be working together. Yes, it’s good that Auklet knows that his brother need to go for the good of the island. However, he’s only willing to look the other way as the king is slowly poisoned by lavender slipped into his food. Thresher isn’t close enough to dropping dead and the new moon is days away. I wonder if Sturgeon will try to convince the king’s brother to do something more drastic, or if she’ll try to take matters into her own paws. After all, the lives of a lot of cats are on the line, including Petrel and Egret’s.

Speaking of the king, he’s up to no good in the forest. I’m impressed that he’s found the cat who Hake saved earlier in the day. Trying to save their own life, the cat talks with Thresher although the temptation to run must be high. These pages confirm that he was instrumental in spreading the “Hake the Fake” title among the Daisys. The irony being that the very cat Hake saved will be the one doing the king’s bidding. Now I can’t blame this Daisy as their life is being threatened, and saying “no” probably won’t be a choice. What gets me is how pointless this cruelty is because of the planned genocide in just a few days.

I guess this old bigot figures between then and now, it’s best to get Hake to also hate the Daisys, and as a bonus he won’t feel bad when many of them are killed during the new moon. (Fortunately, in the present day none of this comes to pass!) Still, I’m amazed that all the Family’s hatred of the Daisys all stems from Thresher, even down to Krill noting the cruel name Hake was given. All the animosity here belongs to the king and his propaganda. It makes you wonder if things would be different had Auklet been chosen to be king by the Tide.

The Order of the Black Dog | Issue 30 Page(s): 1 – 2 | Patreon

The final issue of The Order of the Black Dog has a lot of heavy lifting to do. There are so many questions to answer, and a lot of lose ends to wrap up. I have faith Rebecca will get there, as we’ll have more pages than usual. I will say, I’m very happy that it looks like this issue will have full color again.

We pick up in the aftermath of Kenazil’s attack on the Black Idol residing in the moon. The people there who either became part of the Black Dog, or were puppets for the idol are either completely gone, or hollowed out like Krizman. Melissa’s body rests among this carnage, her rib cage completely exposed, but she’s still there unlike the others. And then she suddenly snaps back to life, pushes her exposed ribs back into her body, gets up, and walks around. There’s a gapping hole where her lungs used to be, but she still has her helmet on. She’s also surprisingly calm about the entire situation.

On the upside Mel is alive, though “alive” might be a really subjective term. The Black Idol on the moon base appears to be completely gone. The twisted black flesh is nowhere to be found as there’s just the metal walls of the facility, and the lunar surface appears to be normal as well. So we’re starting things off with more questions than answers.

Namely, are there two Mels now? The one here with a huge hole in her chest, who doesn’t seem to be phased in the slightest. Then there’s the Mel back in Dr. Xijo’s lab that was seemly hatched from the sample of the Black Idol in the tube. Which one’s the real Melissa? Maybe they’re both the real one, and Julia has two girlfriends! Joking aside, I’m really curious as to how this will all shake out. How can Mel be in two places at once, and how is she alive considering how broken body currently is?

In The Lion’s Den: The Scarlet Uproar | Page(s): 85-86 | Patreon

The more I see of this “Little Diamonds Orphanage” the more questions I have. It really does feel like this place is either a dumping ground for future royals without parents, or parents who simply can’t or don’t want to have anything to do with their children. Or maybe on a more sinister note, perhaps all kittens born with the diamond markings are taken away from their parents to be raised in service to the monarchy. Given the cat that Kay runs into, and them mentioning their ears and rosettes, purity and markings seem to play a role. Maybe these cats were meant to rule over others because of their markings, but having a diamond on your forehead doesn’t protect you from discrimation if your markings are still considered wrong or “impure.”

Honestly, I’m just speculating here. Still, if the basis for who’s fit to rule this cat society in The Lion’s Den is based on markings, that’s not a great measure. It’s a form of eugenics, and I can see why there was a rebellion. Though I’m not sure if the cats, along with the Therian that seized power are any better than what was before.

Lost Scent | Page(s): 116 – 117 | Patreon

First, my bad. I thought Ezra was a Beagle, but he’s actually a Foxhound. Still a creep, though.

The last person I was expecting to see was Motte. She was in the bar the entire time next to Tulpi, but her face was covered by cloth, and on previous pages we just had a gray pile of fur. Anyway, this is how the girls first meet, and I can see why Tulpi is enamored. I would be too, if she defended me from a sex pest trying to take advantage of a bad situation I was in. I can only guess that Motte has seen this before with other dogs who say how uncomfortable they are, only to be ignored and pressured into something they don’t want.

I also think it’s awesome that she’s willing to stand up for someone who’s essentially a stranger. She always struck me as the type not to get involved with the affairs of others. I wonder what makes Tulpi different? Anyway, Ezra’s true colors come out, as his aggression goes from 0 to 11 frighteningly fast. It makes me wonder if he would have physically forced the Akita-mix to come with him if she had continued to refuse his unwanted advances.

On the aggression side, Motte simply insults him, and he responds by going directly for her throat and slamming her head against the bar. He could have just said a few words back, and perhaps left. But no, with his pride wounded or feeling anger at his chance to get at Tulpi slipping away, he chose violence. It doesn’t matter that the Borzoi-mix is nearly twice his size. (Not that a size difference has ever stopped dogs from trying their luck.) This being Motte who can rumble, she quickly turns the tables on Ezra with a kick to the gut and a follow-up bite and pin. I like how she’s so focused on her target that her pupils aren’t visible in the 5th panel of page 117.

Now, it could be the speed of everything happening, but it bothers me that the bartender only yelled for the fight to be broken up AFTER Motte had Ezra’s throat in her mouth, and not the other way around. It makes me wonder if he would have broken things up if Ezra had maintained the upper paw. Since the Foxhound claimed that he lived in the building, I’m assuming he probably has a good relationship with the bartender. At the very least, I will say the guard is likely neutral, as there’s a good chance he didn’t hear the conversation as it took place, and probably came in responding to the noise of the fight. That said, I wonder if Motte and Ezra will be given the boot, or if the Borzoi-mix will be the only one to go. If she’s kicked out, will Tulpi follow her?

On a technical note, I love how chaotically uneven the panel borders are as the fight breaks out.

Golden Shrike | Page(s): 353 354 | Patreon

Antaras on page 353 is incredibly unnerving. If I had to put a finger on it, it would that his facial expressions don’t match the mood or the words coming out of his mouth. It’s really uncanny. Kudos to Doeprince for the excellent facial expressions.

I just can’t get over how Antaras cheerfully apologizes for the loss of Helevise, then boldy asks Iralee for her help all while he starts to babble. It strikes me as a mixture of delusional hope and extreme desperation. He knows the world is falling apart because of his actions, Eve has been stringing him along with promises to deliver his and Oudia’s fawn, and ultimately Helevise wasn’t much help to him before she died. His daughter has left, and his Halv hates his guts. If I had to guess, it’s that he sees Iralee has his last chance to understand Eve’s intentions and have some control over a situation that has rapidly spiraled out of his control.

Antaras has noticed how unsettled Iralee is, so he changes tactics and tries to flatter her, while insisting that she should come with him and Eve. He’s definitely losing his grip on reality, and whatever sanity he has left is hanging on by a thread. At the same time, I think the God-caller realizes this may be her only chance to get through to him, so she’s likely about to verbally let him have it. If there’s a chance that words from those who are hurt by his actions could work, why not take that option? Then again, if he didn’t heed Usma’s pain, why would the voices of the afflicted as relayed by Iralee move him?

That said, the star thief is incredibly dangerous. If she turns his offer down, he could see silencing her forever to be in his best interest.

Home | Page(s): 964 – 965 | Patreon

What is with dogs being lusty creeps in the comics I’m following this week? We had Ezra who clearly wanted Tupli, and now we have Felidae giving Ferah the sexy eyes complete with biting her lip. At least Ezra tried to be smooth and somewhat hide his intentions.

I’m disappointed the scene between Jahla and Ninmah wasn’t longer, especially since the Matriarch plans to leave the island and planet. But that’s Home for you. Important world and character building moments never get enough screen time, or room to breathe in order to pay off later in the story. It should be an extremely significant event that the Matriarch has given up on her tribe and home for the past 30 years, because she no longer trusts her Baron. Again, these problems are of her own making. That said, she could have at least offered to take Jahla and the rest of the Asmundr pack with her. If they said “no” that would be one thing, but at least she tried. Nope, grandma is just abandoning the youth to fix the issues she partially helped create.

Speaking issues, I take issue with Felidae lusting over Ferah. This scene was supposed to be romantic and to demonstrate the Lead Huntress’ interest in her follow Hunter. Instead, we have Ferah mostly oblivious to her companion ogling her, save for one shared glance in the sixth panel of page 964. Otherwise, she’s totally focused on the hunt. Not only that, but Ferah does her job well and takes down a Vinterhjort (a deer). In contrast, Felidae is so focused on eyeing up her hunting partner that she slams into the deer she was supposed to kill, and it runs off. Now mind you, they’re supposed to be bringing back food for the entire tribe, and Felidae can’t even suppress her lust long enough to do her job. It’s creepy, a bit gross, and annoyingly incompetent.

I understand that Kique wants to make Ferah and Felidae an item, but it seems like their bonding scenes are always during hunts, and that they always botch those hunts. Surely he could have had both women successfully take down their targets, and then bond over something else. Maybe the Lead Huntress is distracted AFTER they do their job, and this possible confession scene unfolds then. Or maybe the spotted dog admits her feelings back at home, in their free time, like a sane person. Perhaps she could invite Ferah to share a meal, or to a practice hunt, and gets her feelings out during that event. You know, something where the two dogs actually bond and there are no stakes, like not bringing food back for the tribe.

The relationship building in this comic is bad. We have characters falling or standing over each other in ways that are suggestive, and getting distracted during hunts, versus actually taking about their feelings or what they want. Then it goes from suggestive actions to full on sex. The only exception to this has to be when Keirr kissed Raun, then avoided him, leaving the dog confused. When Raun actually asked for clarification regarding their relationship, he was dumped instead. It’s the only couple setup in this comic that hasn’t been painfully predictable. If Kique wanted these dogs to ogle each other in a sign of a budding relationship (or a one-night stand), maybe they can do that during their downtime, or while just hanging out.

I personally can’t wait for this scene to be over, which is a shame because Ferah doesn’t get much screen time anymore. Worse, Felidae is supposed to be a main character, but she barely gets any screen time. This entire relationship feels forced, especially when Ferah had more in common with Aira (and they actually talked about things). But fans have wanted a same-sex female relationship on screen for ages, so I guess this is Kique delivering. Though it’s pretty obvious he’s not into it like he is with his same-sex male relationships, or his hetero relationships.

On a quick side note, I wonder if reader subscriptions or Patreon subscriptions are down. A friend pointed out (because it was recommended to them on DA) that Kique is previewing Home again on his regular and DARPG account. He hasn’t updated his regular DA account in nearly two years save for this comic post. Perhaps readers are dropping off because they’re bored or frustrated with a very long story that’s mostly filler, and has way too many unresolved plots, so he’s hoping this will serve as an advertisement for new readers. There are better comics out there, and hopefully people are realizing that.

Off for the week:

On hiatus:

Africa | Page(s): | Patreon